Vivian and Jaden exchanged a glance after overlooking Isa and the Liralau female.  Releasing a sigh, the two of them grabbed the babbling woman by her arms and legs and hoisted her up onto the cart.  Following the joint effort, Jaden captured Isa and stuffed her into his shirt pocket. Cute baby Isa acquired. Jaden chuckled to himself.

"I was rather hoping they'd have recovered from the shock by now.  I'd like to know more about what having a name does and means." Vivian stated, showing some interest in the topic.

"I'd like to know too.  Why are you able to give out names?  Does Sasha know?  And just what happens to the person after they get a name?" Jaden asked then followed up, "I wonder if I can name people too?"

"There is a test subject on the cart at the moment," Vivian mused, "But... probably best to wait until we know more."

"As always you're the voice of reason, Mother." Jaden frowned slightly, but accepted the logic in her words.  They each grabbed a handle on the cart and pulled.  It lurched forward as they resumed the trip home.

Names draw the attention of the gods; present and future becomes skewed and uncertain under their gaze.  As your own god is now mortal, this presents more problems than benefits to your race.

"Then we're lucky to have you Sasha," Vivian mused.  Did Sasha just start sweating nervously?

R-right... I'll do what I can.

"By the way.  Is my map broken?  It's awfully ... empty." Vivian asked as she set the cart down.  Jaden followed suit and stretched his arms.  He stole a peek at Isa in his pocket.  She looked a little cramped, so he placed her on the cart next to the Liralau.

No malfunction.  Scanning... Increasing map range.

"That's a pretty big square, and... it's inside the city?  Wait, there's still animals I haven't seen yet?"

There are four such animals.  But, that's only taking the Ominous forest into consideration.

"I see.  I'll fix that later I'm sure." Vivian stated as a shrill screech echoed from the distance.

"That... that came from the direction of our home!" Jaden's black eyes opened in surprise as a roar followed shortly after.

"Sounds like something pretty big is angry." Vivian stated flatly, "Show me where everyone is in the city, and their proximity to that beast."

Vivian frowned as her map updated.  "Is this the result of having named them all on a whim?  Why do I only see Bayne? ... Daryl."

"They're in danger?" Jaden asked as his eyes passed worriedly over the cart.  I don't want to just abandon these two here...

Vivian looked at her son but she didn't utter a word.  The look on her face said everything.  She closed her eyes, pushing tears into motion down her cheeks.  She stood still in silence as she searched within herself.  Looking for that power that's only surfaced when she herself was in grave danger.  Never again.  Not now, not ever.  No one from my clan is dying while I still draw breath.  Vivian felt a flicker.  A momentary spark.  That was all she needed.  Her mind latched onto it as it was slowly fading back into nothing.  She pulled on that feeling, forcing the connection open.  Her heart raced sending unbridled power coursing through her body.  She opened her pure white eyes, they were tainted with a gray flame burning within.  The look on her face exuded tempered determination.

"I'm going ahead."  she kicked off the ground leaving a crater behind.

"Okay." Jaden replied habitually as she was already long gone.  In her wake, he looked at the scarce number of craters on the path. Please be safe Mother, and everyone.

Jaden turned his attention to Isa and the woman beside her on the cart.  "Snap out of it already." He gave them each a gentle but solid slap across the face.  "Isa, the clan is in danger."

Isa sqawked in protest as her mind focused on the physical pain, but she collected herself and flew off chasing after Vivian.  The woman rubbed her cheek as she complained,  "Did you not get taught not to hit a lady?"

"I don't have time for this," Jaden turned his back on her and chased after Isa.  Leaving the woman shocked and alone as she held her cheek in silence.

----------------------------------------

The six of them had sat down to breakfast, only Evan had started eating earning him four glares.  Emily was just staring hungrily at her own bowl.

"What?" he asked, "They'll be fine, and starving ourselves in worry won't benefit anyone."

"..." they each exchanged a glance but in the end, they all started eating.  Only the gentle rustle of Anya's leaves filled the air with a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere.

"Anya sheemsh energetic." Emily broke the silence, "I jush wish I knew what she ish shaying."

Molli gazed lightly upon her daughter, "As do I."

Bayne rubbed his daughter's head gently, "You will one day."

Lulu ate in silence, her thoughts revolving around Evan and his recent behavior.  She glanced over at Emily.  Lulu watched the way Emily's eyes sparkled as she ate a sweet berry, until an unexpectedly sour berry made her face twist ending in an adorable pout.  That was enough to shake Lulu to her core, and her bad mood evaporated.  Lulu secretly started to hope more sour berries had found their way to Emily's bowl.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

The vines entwined in the walls grew thicker and more robust.  Something heavy impacted the building with a deafening crash.  Daryl abandoned his breakfast, hastily swallowing what he had been chewing and started a chant.  Lulu and Molli pulled Evan and Emily along with them as they moved beside Daryl.

Bayne looked apologetically at Molli.  "Be safe." he stated, pulling his staff from across his back.  The vines tightened on the building, bracing for the next impact.  Unconsciously, her hand went out to him.  "Don't try to be a hero." She replied, "You're not qualified."  In her mind, she finished, Yet.

"Just go, I'll stall it." Bayne replied as he walked out the main door.

"He's really manned up lately." Lulu commented, "What's gotten into him?"

"Let's go," Daryl stated as he opened a door leading down under the main building, "I don't know what's down here, but it has to be safer than what's out there."

"Don't know." Molli shrugged, and gave a pointed glance at Evan. "All of us have changed."

"Less talking, more walking." Daryl complained as he led them down into the tunnels.

Another heavy impact against the building and the path they were walking shook around them.

"I'm shcared." Emily hugged Molli tightly.

"Mommy's here." Molli soothed; she picked up her daughter and carried her like a princess.  "This will all be over soon..."

They all fell silent as they navigated the ancient tunnel as quickly as the limited light from Daryl's spell would allow.  "What could this be for?"

"This city reeks of secrets." Daryl shrugged, "I just hope this leads us some place safe."  All the twists and turns the path took, Daryl was grateful they only had a single path to follow without any branching side paths.

"A dead end?" Daryl spent more of his health pool upping the luminence from his spell.  "No... a door?"

A huge ornately decorated door blocked the way.  None of the symbols engraved on the door meant anything to Daryl but they held his attention due to the quality of their craftsmanship.  The doorknob that typically appeared completely absent, instead there was a crank in the middle of the door with a lever to the side.

"That rules this out as an escape route." Daryl sighed as he tried pulling on the lever.  A loud metallic click sounded and Daryl pulled the door open.  "it's not locked?"

A deathly stench escaped from the room and assaulted all of them equally.  Daryl waved his hand signalling the others to wait as he peered into the room.  Inside were a fair number of skeletons in oddly preserved clothes.  Some were huddled together as though sharing a final embrace when they met their end.  

"Nothing for you to see here.  Wait here, I'm going to look around for another exit." Daryl said while trying not to let the sight bother him.  He stepped into the room to take a better look.  He felt the eyes of multiple presences fall upon him.  He shuddered from the eerie feeling.

In his mind he heard an amalgamation of voices, "You have come, prophet."

"The oracle?" Daryl fought hard to stay on his feet.

"Yes.  We are." the voices intoned before breaking apart and turning into a multiude of individual whispers.  The sheer number of them all at once hit Daryl with a feeling of vertigo, trying but unable to separate what they were saying until they joined as one again.

"Fear not, prophet.  Death is nothing to fear, we should know; we have experienced it ourselves.  Though the future remains in chaos, none shall die this day.  One among you shall receive grave injuries, but will survive.  The child shall realize his true potential, but will not be ready for the burden it carries."

"The child of prophecy?" Daryl asked as he was assaulted by hundreds of whispers.

"Your child." the voices coalesced. "Guide him well, lest he perish."

"He'll die?  What must I do?" Daryl fell desperate as the unified voice broke apart and the whispers faded.

"Guide him well..." Daryl repeated to himself, "flippin' useless oracle."

The sound of thunder exploded inside his mind, "Mind your tongue in our domain."

A powerful unseen force pushed Daryl from the room and the door slammed shut after he was evicted.  Everyone took a few steps away from him when they caught the stench of death mixed in with how he soiled himself.

"Right... Mental note: Never insult an oracle in their home." Daryl learned that lesson quickly.

"The oracle was inside?" Lulu asked then shook her head in disappointment, "And you insulted it?"

"Lucky to live to tell the tale, though." Molli shrugged.

"It's revealed a vague glimpse... as per usual." Daryl began, "and Evan, part of it concerns you.  I know you have a vendetta with Jaden.  I'm telling you now to let it go."

"For a 'vague glimpsh', that'sh awful shpeshific." Emily said while holding her nose.

"That's true," Molli added, "Later I'll help you with your speaking, Emily."

"Yay!" Emily's eyes sparkled at the idea of spending time with her mother, any reason was acceptable to that end.

"Was there more?" Lulu asked Daryl.

"Yes... someone will get hurt today, pretty badly..." he fell silent, realizing Bayne had stayed behind to distract the beast.  His wife and daughter visibly squeezed eachother in worry.

----------------------------------------

Bayne shielded his eyes as he stepped outside the building.  "You're pretty ugly for a... hey just what are you?"

The creature looked down upon Bayne like he were an insect as it raised its right forepaw and swiped at him.  Bayne somersaulted back through the door and into the building, taking a momentary refuge.  I'll need to be careful, this thing means business.  The creature shrieked in annoyance as it missed its target.

Bayne dashed out of the building and made a hard right, running through the city streets to lead the creature away from the building.  He looked up at the beast, it was focused on the building.  Fighting this thing would be suicide, it's bigger than most of the buildings here.  Bayne made a left turn at the first available opportunity.  Running through the streets, he kept an eye on the beast as it assaulted the building.  Making another left, he made progress getting closer to the beasts right rear paw.  Almost there... Bayne rolled on to the left street to kill his momentum silently.  In front of him, a giant paw.  He looked up at the beast, it was still unaware of his presence. 

Bayne took his staff that looked more like a splinter next to the huge foot and jambed it in as hard as he could.  It got lodged in place.  The creature let out a pained roar, as it turned it's undivided attention to Bayne.  That got his attention... or rather I have his attention... crap.

Bayne dodged into a building as the creature swatted down.  Bayne lept out the nearest window and hit the street running as fast as he could.  Great... Objective 1 success:  get its attention.  Objective 2 in progress: run like your life depends on it, because it does.

"I really need to have a word with my strategy planner..." Bayne berated himself, "He's fired if I survive this."

A few minutes of chasing the tiny morsel around the city and the beast lost interest in playing cat and mouse.  Something else caught it's attention.  A giant tree at the edge of the city.  The beast may have been chasing a little rodent, but it didn't miss that little detail all the buildings shared:  there was plant life within.  The beast near frollicked through the city as it bounded toward the tree.

Crap.  Crap crap crap.  Bayne saw where the beast was going and there was quite literally nothing he could do to stop it.

Sensing danger to her core being, Anya pushed trees into accelerated growth creating a wall between her and the danger.  Thick whip-like vines grew from the ground entangling the beast, while thinner vines sprouted and lashed at the beast.  Unfortunately this only served to piss it off further.

The beast flexed its muscles and the vines wrapped around its body tore, falling to the ground like confetti.  Free from the bindings, it pounced.  Colliding with the tree wall, the beast swung it's paw tearing the trees in half.

"So Anya on her own is actually... quite weak." Bayne said to himself, "But, she can make the buildings so much stronger?"

"Sorry, I wish I could understand what you're saying." he replied with a self-deprecating smile to the leaves rustling around him.  Despite his admittal, the leaves didn't stop.

Anya began the process of growing a giant building around her core when the beast took a swipe at her.  From outside the city, a grey blur approached at an impossible speed.  It impacted with the paw throwing the beast off balance, while the grey blur flew into a wall.